


Coming Home

by newfangirlhere



Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: Aarrrggghh!!! (Trollhunters), Draal (Trollhunters) - Freeform, F/M, Read to find out!, What the heck happened?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-09-13 10:16:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9119230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/newfangirlhere/pseuds/newfangirlhere
Summary: When Jim comes back from the Darklands, he has to face what he left behind. And see what the future brings.





	1. Chapter 1

When Jim stumbled with Enrique in his arms through the portal, there was nobody to greet him. The room was empty.

The child’s wailing echoed through the dark room, making it sound like there were a hundred babies instead of one.

  
The boy stood there, panting, after having barely escaped the Darklands, now that it collapsed.

Hunched over the boy, he tried to calm him down. “It’s okay kiddo. We’re save now. Nothing will happen to you, just calm down”. With these words, he fell to his knees.  
“You are save”. Then everything went black for him.

 

* * *

 

 

Claire was sitting in her room. Staring at her wall. The tree's branches went up to her ceiling, the golden leaves reminding her of the time when she and her boys were sitting in Trollmarket and having fun. Now they didn’t have as much fun anymore.  
Blinky and her were constantly trying to find something in his books to find Jim.  
Toby and Vendel try to contact him through the portal, but nothing works.

 

He has been gone for 2 weeks now. It was spring vacation, so they told his mom, that they went camping. But it’s already Friday. He was supposed to be home on Sunday. What will they tell his mother?

  
_We are very sorry, Mrs. Lake, but Jim has gone into the Darklands to get back my brother who was kidnapped by goblins. Yes, we know that this seems crazy, but you actually know, you just forgot that your son was the Trollhunter because his teacher cursed you and when removing the spell, it ended with you forgetting everything.  
We don’t know if he will ever come back._

Yeah, good idea.  
Claire sighed and turned around. On the desk beside her bed stood a picture of her and Jim. Toby took it when they were in Trollmarket one day.  
Jim was exhausted from his training and was sitting beside her.  
  
_“I’m never ever gonna ask Draal_ again, _if he can help Blinky create a plan for my training. I am done…” Jim fell down to sit beside Claire on the ground._  
 _She_ leaned _against the wall and watched him train (more or less) while trying to study for her next maths test. She closed her book._

 _“Don’t be like that. You managed not to die. That’s something”. The girl smiled at him._  
 _Jim groaned and buried his face in his hands._  
  
_“Yeah, but I’m feeling like I’m going to”.  Claire sighed. “Damn it!” Jim looked up, looking alarmingly at his surroundings. “What? What is it?”_  
 _The girl stood up. “I really wanted to go to the Dance”. The boy was confused. He thought he was going with her. Together._  
 _“Why? What for? I thought that we were …_ uhm _… going together”. His voice shook a bit. Maybe she didn’t want to go with him anymore, now that she saw that he was a loser._

 _Claire turned around abruptly. “When you are dead, then there is nobody I could go with. I’m not going alone. I was really looking forward to this, but now…” She couldn’t hide the smile on her face._  
  
_Jim grinned. “Hm… you know what? I think it’s not my time yet. I will just stay alive for now”. He stepped closer to her. “Oh, will you now? And what about Draal and Blinky? Tomorrow you will face their training again. And then?” She grinned back._  


_He took another step. Merely a few centimetres were separating them. They were still grinning, looking at each other._  
 _“Maybe if I had the right motivation … “The pair stood there for a few seconds like that. Grinning, looking at each other, just being happy. Then Claire took a step back. “Okay, so if you don’t survive, then I’ll ask Draal to tell his dad somehow to kick your ass in the in-between. Is that enough motivation?” She laughed at Jims’ face._  
  
_He was sure she would do that, be he didn’t expect her to say this. Still, he challenged her. “You wouldn’t dare!” Claire raised her eyebrows. “You sure?”_

 _That’s when he jumped forward, took her around her waist, her back facing him, and put his chin on her shoulder._  
 _“Then I’ll promise you, I won’t die. As long as you will wait for me, I’ll always come back”._  
  
Right at this moment Toby had taken the picture. Claire had her arms on Jims, and their smiles lit up the entire cave.

 

A tear fell down on the picture. Would she ever see him again? “You promised, Jim. You promised you would come back. I’m waiting for you”.

 

And then everything happened at once.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I am sorry. I actually posted this Chapter on New Years Eve, but somehow it didn't work and I just realised. So today you get to chapters. :D Have fun

_That’s when he jumped forward, took her around her waist, her back facing him, and put his chin on her shoulder._  
“Then I’ll promise you, I won’t die. As long as you will wait for me, I’ll always come back”.   
  
Right at this moment Toby had taken the picture. Claire had her arms on Jims, and their smiles lit up the entire cave.

_A tear fell down on the picture. Would she ever see him again? “You promised, Jim. You promised you would come back. I’m waiting for you”._

_And then everything happened at once._

* * *

 

Suddenly, everything went black. Claire let out a yelp. Somebody pushed her door open and it crashed against the wall.  

“Hey! Big sis! We got a problem!” The girl stared wide eyed at the troll who entered her room. “What do you want?”  
  
For the last few weeks Claire hasn’t been the nicest person. Usually she tried to be polite and not to show her anger and sadness, but sometimes, especially when she thought about Jim, she wasn’t very friendly.   
Not-Enrique jumped on her bed and looked at her. “I can’t be your brother anymore”. Claire was shocked. “You what?” “I can’t transform anymore”. It was silent.

“What do you mean you can’t transform anymore?” The troll shook his head and looked her in the eyes. “It means what I said. It seems like your brother is back, so I can’t transform”.   
Claire blinked. She didn’t get it. What did he mean Enrique was back? He is in the Darklands! He is … No! But then that would mean…  
  
“I gotta go! He’s back. They are back. And he got him! He found Enrique!”  
The girl jumped up and ran downstairs. Half way down she turned around. Not-Enrique was in the hallway. “What are you waiting for?”  
“What if mom wants to check up on you? You can’t transform! Get a blanket! We’re gonna take a walk”.

* * *

 

“Jim? Jim! You’re finally awake!”   
When the boy opened his eyes, his best friend was sitting right beside him. “Toby? What happened? Where is Enrique?” Toby stared at him for a long time. “He’s fine. Blinky is taking care of him right now. But that doesn’t matter right now. How are you? What happened?”  
The Trollhunter closed his eyes and sighed.   
  
“He’s dead. That’s all. I found Enrique, killed Gunmar and now we are here. Nothing else”. “But…” Toby stopped. Jims’ look kept him from asking away. He saw that Jim wasn’t feeling well. And he saw, that something happened. Something terrible and he didn’t want to talk about it. “Okay. I’ll get Blinky and Enrique”.

The boy stood up and went outside. When he returned a few minutes later, a very happy Blinky came in behind him and stared. “Master Jim! Finally! You had us so worried”. He stood beside the bed that Jim was lying in. “How are you?” Jim tried a smile. “Really, I am fine. Don’t worry about me. Can I hold him?” He looked at Enrique. “Why, yes of course”. Blinky gave him the snoring bundle.

Jim looked at him. Really looked at him. His smile that looked so much like Claires’. The bit of hair on his head. His soft snoring. He was beautiful. The boy brushed a finger of the baby’s cheek. “Have you checked him out? Is he completely fine?”, he questioned Blinky. The troll smiled. “Well, I am no expert on humans, but he seems to be unharmed. He’s fine”. That also gave Jim a very small smile.

Suddenly there was an uproar outside. “Jim! Enrique!” It was a girls voice. The boys eyes went wide. Was that..? “Jim!” A commotion started outside. People yelping, crying out and yelling “Oi! Watch out!” It only lasted for few seconds, and suddenly she was standing there. Her black hair all over the place, her cheeks red and her breathing so fast and hard one could think she ran a marathon. But her eyes were searching.

When she found the Trollhunter’s eyes, she stopped and stared.

He was lying there, battered and bruised. One eye swollen and his lip split. It seemed like he hasn’t slept in days.

But his look … he looked at her with wonder. His eyes were wide and small smile was on his lips.  
Then her look fell on her brother who was sound asleep in Jims arms.

“Come on Toby. Let us give them some space” Blinky went to take Toby’s arm and led him outside. “But…” And then they were gone.

Claire was still standing in the door, frozen. They were watching each other warily. Claire’s feelings a complete mess. Happiness, hurt, sadness, confusion.  

“Don’t cry”. The girl brushed a hand over her cheek and realized that she was crying. She shouldn’t be crying! She should be happy, or angry or … She couldn’t take it anymore.

Claire rushed forward, tears flowing constantly down her face. “You are here! You are really here!” And then she almost crushed him with her hug, the only thing holding her back from doing that, was her brother between them.

For the next few minutes the only thing you could hear was Claire sobbing, Enrique snoring and Jim trying to calm her down. “Shh… I’m fine and so is Enrique. Don’t cry. Please”. But that seemed to make it worse. Her grip got even harder, the tears soaking the shirt he wore, another one that he usually wore.

  
When the girl drew back, she looked down at her brother. He was sound asleep. And he seemed fine.

“Why?” Claire didn’t look up at Jim, but felt him stiffen. “Why what?”, he asked back. “Why did you go alone?” The boy wasn’t prepared for that question, even though he should have known that it would come. And he couldn’t refuse her an answer. So he took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“Because I couldn’t let anyone get hurt for me anymore. Aargh died, as did many more trolls just because Angor Rot wanted me. How could I let you guys risk your life for me? The amulet chose me, so it was my quest”. Claire’s head snapped up so fast that the boy reeled back a bit.

  
“I told you I’ll help finding MY brother. Rescue him. When I did that, I knew what would happen. I knew I wouldn’t be save the whole time and I wanted to risk everything to help you and save Enrique.   
And when Angor Rot attacked us, all of us knew that there will be some that won’t make it. And we still fought.

Going alone! I don’t know how you did it, but we both know that you didn’t think you’d make it out alive. So why? Why didn’t you trust us? Your friends?”

By the end of that monologue Claire was almost screaming, Enrique woke up and squirmed in Jim’s arms. But the next part was said so quietly, that Jim had difficulties understanding his friend over the baby’s laughing.

“Why didn’t you trust me?”

And there it was. The guilt and the shame. The knowledge that he hurt the girl he would go to the end of the world for; for the girl he went on a suicide mission, alone, to save her little brother. The tears that fell down her face, weren’t tears of happiness this time, but of hurt and sadness. He looked at her. Really looked.

Under her red eyes were bags over bags, she, like him, hasn’t slept much over the last two weeks. Her face was sharper, which gave him the idea, that maybe she also skipped meals. And there it was again: the word “why”. Why did she do that? Why was she so angry and hurt?

But when he looked into her eyes, he knew. Claire was as worried about him as he was about her. They both were so concerned about each other, that they forgot to take care of themselves. Over the course of the last few weeks, they grew closer. There was nothing they wouldn’t do for each other. She wanted to protect him, like he wanted to protect her.  
But he had a reason why he didn’t want her to go with him.

“Claire”, he whispered. By now, she had taken Enrique into her arms and kissed him on his forehead. She looked at her little brother with so much love, that Jim knew he had done the right thing.

“Please look at me”. When she looked up, he couldn’t decide if she was furious or sad. Probably both.   
“This is not about trust. You saved my life and I yours, so I know that there’s almost nobody I could trust as much as you. But I was so angry that people died for me. And I was afraid that this would happen to my best friends if they would come with me.   
What would have happened if you got hurt, or died in the Darklands? Who would have taken care of Enrique? Of Toby’s Nana? Of the next Trollhunter?   
  
I didn’t make it out of there because I was so perfectly trained, but because of sheer luck. I have seen things, that nobody else should ever see again”. He closed his eyes. Fighting against the rising pictures in his mind.   
“I know I hurt you. All of you. And I am really sorry. But if I had to make the same decision again, I wouldn’t do it differently. Not if it means that you guys are save. Not if it means that you are able to sit here with your brother. Smiling. It was worth all of it”.

His breathing got really hard. And suddenly the pain in his back, that he had since he escaped Gunmars palace, came back. But he tried not to show it.  
  


“Jim”. He opened his eyes and watched how Claire lifted her hand, to put it on his cheek. “We are a team. We work together. Next time, I’m going to hurt you if you leave me behind, just so you know”. She smiled shortly at him and continued. “But what do you think would have happened if you wouldn’t have come back? Don’t you think that we would have been devastated? Every single one of us spent the last two weeks working every minute of the day to find you.   
  


Vendel came in one day and said that we should stop. That there was no way you would still be alive.   
You should have seen Blinky. He was so mad. He and Draal actually screamed at him, and when he left, he never came back.   
Everybody was sure that you wouldn’t make it. Everyone but us. Never EVER doubt what we can do. Together. You are part of our family!”

Jim smiled back and put his hand over Claires. He opened his mouth to thank her and how much he appreciates it and how right she is, but out came only a pained scream. The pain became unbearable. His back felt like it was on fire.


	3. Chapter 3

_Jim smiled back and put his hand over Claires. He opened his mouth to thank her how much he appreciates her and how right she is, but out came only a pained scream. The pain became unbearable. His back felt like it was on fire._

 

* * *

The first thing that Jim noticed were voices. “What do you think happened to him?” It sounded like Toby. “I don’t know. This probably happened during a fight. Maybe even one with Gunmar”, answered Blinky. “When we found him, his clothes were torn and the marks on his back were red like fire. We did the best we could at that moment. I hope with this crème he will get better. Vendel created it specially for him”.

Then his focus shifted to a person sitting next to him, who held his hand and brushed their fingers over his face. And then a voice, directly over him whispered. “What happened to you, Jim? Wake up and tell me. Please. I just want you to be save”. It was the last thing he heard.

* * *

 

When he woke up a few hours later, he felt perfectly fine. His back didn’t hurt anymore. Jim took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

He looked around the room. The boy was lying on a stone bed, the only comfort provided by clothes. There wasn’t much in the grey cave just a table with two chairs. From the outside he could hear loud noises. The normal sounds of Trollmarket.  
His eyes looked at a bundle of blankets on the floor. On it was a small person.

Jim stood up and tested his body. Whatever they did to him, it helped. The wounds on his back were closed and hurt only very slightly when he stretched. He took a few careful steps towards the blanket bundle, but tripped and landed right in front of the person, who woke up. “What?”

Claire’s confused face appeared under the blankets. She stared at the boy. “You… Jim? You’re awake!” She hugged him. “What are you doing out of bed? You should be resting”. She drew back. “You had us worried! Suddenly you started screaming and then you blacked out”. Jim nodded. “I’m sorry. But I am fine now. Really”. It took her a few seconds, watching him very closely, but then Claire smiled. “Good. Because Trollmarket wants to meet their hero”.

That was apparently the wrong thing to say, because Jim’s face darkened. “I’m not sure…”, but Claire stopped him and took his hands. “They need that. They need to see that you are alive. And I think you need it, too. No,” she said, when she saw that he wanted to interrupt her. “I don’t know what you are thinking and I don’t know what happened to you, but I know that you should see what they think about you. They love you. And when they found out that you are back, everyone wanted to come and see how you are doing”.

“I don’t think anyone will talk to me, when they know what happened”.   
“They don’t care. I don’t care. It doesn’t matter what you did. You came back and Gunmar is dead. That’s enough for us”. Claire took a breath. “And if you ever want to talk, then come to me. You know there’s nothing you can’t tell me, yeah?”

She looked into his eyes, he nodded again. “Okay”. He sighed. “Will you stay with me?” Claire stood and pulled him up. “Of course. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be”.

Hand in hand they went outside to face the crowd.

  
  


“There he is! Our Trollhunter!” Trolls were screaming and congratulating him from everywhere. They came to pat him on his back and tell him how proud they are to have a human as a Trollhunter. Some even apologized for treating him so badly before. He smiled, as did Claire, but she sensed that he wasn’t comfortable.   
_Just a few more minutes_ , she told herself. _In a few minutes everyone has seen him and then we can leave._

By the time the last troll left, his grip on her hand was very strong and his smile just a shadow in his face. Jim seemed exhausted. Claire looked at Blinky, who then came over.  
“Master Jim. I hope you’re feeling better now?” Jim nodded. “Then I think you should go home. Young Tobias has left some while ago, because his grandmother called”. Jim nodded. Good, then he didn’t have to explain what’s going on. He knew that Toby noticed something was wrong, but he didn’t know how to explain it to his best friend. Why he didn’t want to talk to him. He would ask questions without end, never stopping. Don’t think that he didn’t like his friend, but his habit of never stopping to ask questions can sometimes be very irritating. He’d call him tomorrow.

“Okay”, Jim said. Claire looked at him. “I’ll bring you home. I told my parents that I will stay at Darcy’s. So don’t complain”. She added when he opened his mouth. He rolled his eyes but smiled. “I don’t get a say in this, do I?” Claire chuckled. “Nope”. And with a short goodbye to Blinky she pulled him upstairs to bring the young warrior home.

None of them seemed to notice how Blinky watched them worriedly.

 

* * *

 

When they arrived at Jim’s house they found a message from his mom, saying that she has to work tonight. So after they shed their jackets, they sat on the sofa. “How are you?” Claire decided to break the silence. “I could ask you the same”. The girl looked at Jim, biting her lip. “Will you give me a truthful answer, if I tell you?” It was silent again. Then he nodded. “Yeah”.

“I’m … I’m not sure. I’m so happy that you are back. Enrique is save at home. Gunmar is dead. But I’m still worried about you. Because something happened, and it was so bad that you don’t want to talk about it.  
I haven’t slept very well those last two weeks, haven’t really eaten anything. I couldn’t. Whenever I closed my eyes, I saw you … hurt and … sometimes dead”. It took her a few seconds to fight against the tears. “But now you are here and alive and talking and walking. So I should be calmer, but knowing you’re not feeling bad makes me feel on edge. You don’t have to tell me what it is, but promise me that one day, you’ll tell someone”. Claire’s eyes looked pleadingly at him.

“I will. Thank you. You don’t know how relived I am that I’m still in one piece. I was so sure that I died and then suddenly I woke up in Trollmarket.

You are right, many things have happened. And when I feel ready, then I’ll come talking to you. Because I know you will help me”. Claire was looking down, so he took her chin between his fingers and made her look at him. “And I am sorry. For hurting you. I really am. I never intended to make you feel like this”.

His look showed her how he felt. He _was_ sorry, not that she believed otherwise. But his eyes always held all the emotion she needed to see. They stared at each other for a long while, until Jim’s stomach complained. He drew back. “Oh…” But the girl across from him chuckled. “How about we eat something? And then we can do … something else”.

15 minutes later, they were sitting on the couch again, eating their sandwiches. “Hm… Did you know you are the best cook I’ve ever met?” Jim smiled. “Well, I try my best”.  Once they were finished, they put the plates on the table and sat back. They decided on watching TV. It was clear that Jim didn’t want to talk, so they passed the time by watching a movie, until he would go to bed. She forced him to go to his bed and leave her the couch, even though he didn’t want to, complaining that a gentleman didn’t let a girl stay on the sofa.

Halfway through the movie, Jim put his arm around Claire. She smiled and snuggled further into him, which also brought a smile to his lips. His arm wound around her waist, when she moved closer and his fingers laid on the side of the belly.   
She drew her feet up and also put one arm around him. They sat like that for a while. Sometimes Jim’ thumb brushing over her shirt, and at some point, he kissed her hair.

  
By the end of the movie, they were lying there, legs entangled, Claire’s head on his chest, and Jim’s fingers combing through her hair. He didn’t really remember anything from the movie. What was it even about? Jim spent the whole time relishing in the feeling of having Claire so close. To have her back. While he played with her hair, he could feel her drifting off to sleep.   
“Claire?” She didn’t move and only answered with a “mhm?” “Can I stay here?”  It was silent for some while. “Of course”. He smiled. “Good night”, but her answer was only a soft snore.

Jim was afraid of closing his eyes. What if he saw all that cruelty again? He can’t do it. But with Claire in his arms he felt save. So for the first time in days, he closed his eyes to sleep. And it took him merely seconds to be gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it. Tell me if you want more :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm really glad you like the story so far. I didn't plan on updating until Monday because then University starts again (YAY!). But here you go. I'll talk to ya at the end of the chapter :D

 

 

 

_By the end of the movie, they were lying there, legs entangled, Claire’s head on his chest, and Jim’s fingers combing through her hair. He didn’t really remember anything from the movie. What was it even about? Jim spent the whole time relishing in the feeling of having Claire so close. To have her back. While he played with her hair, he could feel her drifting off to sleep.  
“Claire?” She didn’t move and only answered with a “mhm?” “Can I stay here?”  It was silent for some while. “Of course”. He smiled. “Good night”, but her answer was only a soft snore._

_Jim was afraid of closing his eyes. What if he saw all that cruelty again? He can’t do it. But with Claire in his arms, he felt safe. So for the first time in days, he closed his eyes to sleep. And it took him merely seconds to be gone._

* * *

 

_Cries of agony sounded around him. He couldn’t see. His back hurt. It was too much. How could he ever think, he’d rescue Enrique and make it out alive? He was so stupid!_

_“A look at that, the human_ Trollhunter _”. Gunmar’s voice sounded through the cave, where Jim was being held. “What now, child? I broke you. You came here to kill me but you failed. And for that, I’m making you watch how I kill all of your friends. Maybe I’ll even invite some of them here. To join you in your misery”. He laughed. “First I’ll start with that stupid trollfriend of yours. Brinkus was his name, no?” Jim tried to free himself. “And then that fat boy, oh, he will be so tasty! And then? Your mum? Trollmarket? Your whole town? And last but not least, your little girlfriend. I will bring her here, torture her and you will watch. And then, when I convinced her that this is all your fault, which it is, by the way, I will kill her very slowly. Right in front of you”. That’s when he snapped. Gunmar will never touch his family. Never._  


_Jim fought against his restraints. But suddenly the troll behind him whipped him across his back. Again and again. The pain was unbearable. “You will never win!” Those were the boy's last words before he blacked out._

“Jim! Jim, wake up! It’s just a dream!”

 

Somebody shook his shoulder. “Wake up!” Jim opened his eyes and sat up. He looked around the room. The TV was still running, it’s soft glow illuminating Claire’s frightened face watching him. He was panting and tears were streaming down his face; his throat feeling like he screamed. Maybe he did.

 

And then she was beside him, embracing him and telling him that he was alright. He was awake and nobody would hurt him. “You are safe, Jim. We are sitting in your living room. Gunmar is dead”. He heard her, but couldn’t stop the stream of tears. “He said he’ll kill you, all of you. But before that he will torture you in front of me. And when you hate me, he will kill you, too, and I have to live with it the rest of my life. Knowing that all of this was my fault”. Her embrace got harder.

 

“That’s the past, Jim. You are here now and nothing can change that. You are not there anymore. And the most important thing is: I will never hate you. Whatever you did, I can never hate you”.  “You will, soon enough”, he whispered. Claire drew back. She took his face in her hands and looked him in the eyes. The light of the TV just enhanced her face and the look of pure determination more.

 

“Do you remember when you trashed my house? I didn’t know why you did it, but I was so mad! My parents were monitoring me because I left the house and Enrique behind. And your excuse was so bad. I really thought you were just some stupid guy who wanted to impress me. I thought I hated you, but it wasn’t that. I was mad at myself, that I thought you were this amazing boy and I was wrong. I hated myself.

And then you saved me from the goblins one night and saw what was going on. I understood. I couldn’t be mad at you anymore, now that I knew the truth.  
You had to lie, so you wouldn’t endanger the trolls.

 

There was a very good reason you never showed up for rehearsals or were so weird.  
You are a protector, Jim. Everything you do is to protect the people you love. Everything”. Her thumbs brushed over his cheeks while she stared into his eyes. “So never doubt, that we won’t understand. Maybe some of us will need some time to do so, but we know you. Friends are always there for each other”.

 

Then she leant forward and kissed him on the forehead. “And if you need a reminder, then tell me”.

 

His eyes were full of wonder. Over and over she proved him wrong. There are people who would accept him just how he was, not because he was the Trollhunter, but because he is James Lake Jr. And maybe they could accept what he had to do in order to save them all. Maybe.

 

And then he saw it. “Claire! I hurt you”. His eyes went wide. There was a bit of blood trickling down her face from a small cut on her left temple. She lifted her hand. “No, that’s my fault. I wanted to kneel on the ground so I wouldn’t get hit by your thrashing around, but I fell down and hit my head on the table”.

Jim looked very sceptical. “We should put something on this”, but the girl just waved him off. “Look it already stopped bleeding. Don’t worry, okay?” She took a tissue from the table and tapped it onto the wound to show him, that it really didn’t bleed anymore.

 

“You’re gonna have a bruise there, tomorrow”. She shrugged. “I don’t care”.

“Maybe I should kiss it better”. Before he realised what he said, it was out. His friend stared and Jim could feel how his face got hotter. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that…” But Claire interrupted him. “Maybe you should”, she said and then it was his turn to stare. “I mean. It kind of hurts. So maybe if you’d kiss it, it’ll get better”.

 

And in an act of bravery, he leant forward and put his lips against her temple. They lingered there for several seconds, till he drew back. Claire’s eyes were closed and she smiled. “There. All better now?” She opened her eyes. “Yeah. Never been better”. Their silence continued for almost a minute. Then he looked down, nervously.

“Do you want to come here again? The nights not over yet, it’s only one a.m.”

 

“Shouldn’t you go to your bed?” Jim shook his head. “I don’t want to be alone. I just … if I get another nightmare, then… But if you want me to, I’ll go”. He stood up, but Claire took his hand. “No. I don’t want to be alone either. Stay”.

 

Together they lay back on the couch. “Thank you”, Jim said. She smiled and then went serious again. “Do you think you can sleep now?” Jim thought about it for a second. “As long as you protect me”. Claire put her head in the space between his shoulder and his head. “I will never stop”.  
And with that, they fell asleep again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm.. is it gonna happen? Hm... I think you'll have to wait.  
> From now on, I'll try to post only twice a week. Exams are coming up, and should really study if I want to finish this semester.  
> Anyway. I hope you liked it :D  
> If you want to, you can write me ideas, what you want to see. The next few chapters are already written, but maybe I can include some of your ideas in the ones after them.
> 
> See you then :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So here you go! Another chapter. It's getting angsty. Have fun!

 

* * *

 

_Together they laid back on the couch. “Thank you”, Jim said. She smiled and then went serious again. “Do you think you can sleep now?” Jim thought about it for a second. “As long as you protect me”. Claire put her head in the space between his shoulder and his head. “I will never stop”.  
And with that, they fell asleep again._

 

* * *

 

 

When Jim woke up the next day, Claire was gone. On the table was a note, that said her parents sent her a message. She had to go home. The boy sighed and sat up. What was he going to do about all of this?  
He knew he had to talk about the Darklands, but how? How should he do it without making everyone angry? They would be disappointed, furious and probably throw him out of Trollmarket, no matter if he was the Trollhunter or not.

And then there were the nightmares. Jim knew they would come, after everything that happened. But Claire saw it, so she won’t stop until she knows.

This is a mess…

 

A loud knock pulled him out of his thoughts. “Jim? You there?” A small smile appeared on the Trollhunter’s face. Toby. His best friend was here. He got up to open the door.  
“Hey, Tobes!” The smaller boy tackled him with a hug. “Oh my gosh. I’m so glad you’re back and fine and … Are you?” Toby broke the hug and looked at his best friend. Jim looked to the ground and went to the living room. The plates from last night were still on the coffee table, so he took them to the kitchen. Toby followed him. “I… I am. But… I am not”, was what Jim finally said. Toby was confused. You either are alright or not. “What do you mean?” Jim turned to wash the plates. “I… I’m happy to be back, Tobes. I’m alive, no major injuries, well at least not anymore. Everyone is safe and … Gunmar, he’s dead. But… many things have happened Tobes. Things that… will probably haunt me for a long time.” When he was finished, he leant against the sink, looking at Toby. His best friend stood there and looked at him. Really looked at him. And then he spoke. “You know. When you left, we tried everything to get you back, or at least contact you. Nothing worked. After a few days, everyone told us you’re probably dead. But none of us gave up. And then, two days ago, when we tried it again, we came into the Bridge room and saw you lying there. Enrique was wailing. You had him in your arms, let me tell you, your grip can be really hard, even when you’re unconscious.  
And then we saw your wounds and … well, what I wanted to say is that none of us can imagine what happened there. But we want to help you. All of us. Blinky, Claire, Draal, Me, even Vendel. So let us. Don’t wait until you think we could take it, because you weren’t prepared either.”

 

Jim looked agape at his friend. He didn’t hear him speak so passionately about something. But this showed him once again, how much he cared. How much all of them cared.

 

He hugged Toby. “Thank you.” “No problem. But you know what? There’s somebody waiting in Trollmarket for you”

 

 

* * *

 

Jim was relieved, when they arrived in Trollmarket, most people didn’t ask questions. They greeted him nicely but continued with their own stuff. While they wandered through the market, Jim thought about how he almost never saw that place again. How he almost lost the beauty of the Trollworld forever. Suddenly the colours seemed brighter and even the grumpiest of trolls nice.

 

They walked in the direction of the Heroes forge. But on their way, they met Blinky. “Master Jim!” He Troll came almost running at him, then looked and hugged him. Everyone wanted to hug him these days. “Are you alright?” Blinky asked when he drew back. “Hey Blinky. It could be better, but…” But Blinky stopped him. “Good. Because I have a question for you”. Jim looked questioningly at Toby, who just shrugged his shoulder. And then Blinky started. “Do you have any idea, what would have happened if you hadn’t come back?”, he almost screamed. Some Trolls turned around. The boys stood there with their eyes wide. “Do you? This was the most stupid and reckless thing you could have ever done! You went ALONE into the Darklands. If you would have died, then we would have all been lost”. Jim spoke up. “If I would have died, the Medallion would have chosen another Trollhunter. Maybe one that was more capable that me”. Blinky put his hands on Jim’s shoulders and shook him. “Stupid Boy! If you wouldn’t have come back from the Darklands, the magic of the amulet would have been lost forever to us! It couldn’t have chosen another Trollhunter because it would’ve been prisoned in the Darklands. Gunmar would either take it, or just come here and destroy everything. There would have been no one to stop him!”

 

Blinky’s breathing was hard. The next words were merely a whisper. “Do you have any idea what you did to us?” He stared for a few moments, then pushed Jim away and walked away. Neither of the boys knew how to react. They watched Blinky leave, mouths open. Toby was confused. He’s never seen Blinky like this. Of course, the troll was upset by Jim's disappearing, but he never showed it like this.  
But Jim was hurt. He knew why Blinky acted that way. It was logical. But his trainer never spoke to him like that. It sounded like he blamed Jim for everything. And maybe he was right. Maybe all of this was his fault. That stupid amulet chose him and he never wanted that. It was more of a burden than glory.  
He didn’t expect Blinky to be all unicorns and sunshine about what he did, but he thought he would at least be a bit proud.  
Now Jim was ashamed. He let everyone down. And then he did the one thing he'd promised to never do again. He ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hope you liked it. If there are any mistakes, I'm sorry. I couldn't make any time to correct read it. It just so freaking crazy here at University...  
> Tell me what you think. I'll probably post the next chapter on Saturday. See ya then :D


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go people! This chapter isn't long. Combining studying and writing isn't very easy, but yeah... I hope you like it!!

* * *

 

 

_Now Jim was ashamed. He let down everyone. And then he did the one thing he promised never to do again. He ran._

* * *

 

A few minutes later, Draal found Jim sitting in front of Kanjigar. The boy stared at the deceased Trollhunter. The best there ever was. The best there will ever be.  
The Troll sat down beside Jim and didn’t say a thing.

It was silent for many minutes. Until Draal spoke up. “You know why he’s angry?” It took Jim a few moments to answer. “Yeah. Because I messed up. I didn’t listen to him.” Draal took him by his shoulders and turned Jim around. “That’s not true. He is angry, yes, but for a completely different reason.   
Blinky hasn’t had a friend beside Draal for a few hundred years now. There was his brother but …” Draal swallowed. “Jim. You are like a son to Blinky. Everything he did, was to make sure you’ll make it. And to keep you safe. Even though that doesn’t work very often.

 

But you mean very much to him. And then you left, without any hope of return. He was hurt, that you didn’t trust him enough to be by his side. He was afraid of losing you. Still is. Think about it. We both know how it is to lose someone we love. This is what he felt when you went into the Darklands. This is how all of us felt, Jim.”   
The boy looked up at Draal. “Are you sure?” Draal nodded and smiled. “Of course. Now, how about you get up and apologise to him? And if he screams at you, just hug him.”  Jim put a hand on Draal's shoulder. “Thank you. And, I missed you, too.”

 

When Jim left, Draal smiled after him and then turned to his father. “I think, he could be the best Trollhunter we’ll ever have.” And for a moment, he saw Kanjigars eyes shine as if he approved.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Blinky sat in the Pub, many mugs standing in front of him. He never thought of himself as a drinker, but today he did. He needed it. He felt the other trolls staring at him, but Blinky didn’t care. Why should he? He’s always been an outcast, it never bothered him. He had Aarrrggghh by his side. They’ve been outcasts together. Now he was alone.

“Blinky?” It was Jim. He was standing behind him, but Blinky tried to ignore him. He heard Jim take a breath and then sitting down beside him. “What do you want?” He asked rudely.  “I want to apologise.” Blinky emptied the mug in front of him in one and then put it down on the table harder than necessary. “For what?” He stared at the wall.  “Blinky. I am sorry. It …I thought only about protecting you. All of you. But I never thought about how much it would hurt you. I was sure, when I went in, I would come out alive. But after a few days, I realised, how stupid I was. Still. I kept on going because enough people already got hurt because of me. And… Really, I am sorry Blinky.”

 

The silence was too much for Jim. He never intended to hurt anyone. “You were irresponsible, Jim. You could have died. Everything would have been lost.” He took a breath. “But I guess this only means, that we have to train even harder. And you have to tell me”. Jim groaned. “Tell you what?” But Blinky remained serious. “Tell me what happened in the Darklands.” This shut Jim up. He stared at his mentor. He owed that to him. He owed it to all of them.   
Jim closed his eyes and nodded. “Okay, but we should go somewhere else”. They got up and went in the direction of Blinky’s library. “Blinky?” The troll stopped and turned around. Jim hugged him. “I hope you can forgive me.” Blinky hugged back. “Of course, I do.” The boy broke the hug and looked at the troll. “Wait until I have told you everything, before you say that.” With that, they went to go into the library.

 

 

Two hours later they sat there. Silent. Jim tried to be strong. He waited for Blinky to say something. To show any reaction. When he didn’t say anything, Jim broke the silence. “I know you every reason to hate me now, but can you say something, Blinky?” “Are you sure all of them are …” Jim nodded. “That’s what he said would happen. They all are.”  After a few minutes, Blinky spoke again. “This is not your fault.” Jim protested but Blinky interrupted him. “No. It was their decision. They knew what they were doing. So, no one can blame you. Especially not you, you hear me, Jim? This is not your fault.” The boy got up. “Yes, it is. If I would have known more, trained harder, then I could have found a way to prevent this. But I didn’t and this happened.” Blinky got up and took him by his shoulders.

 

“Listen to me. I am a few hundred years older than you. And so were the others. There was no other way. This was the only possibility to guarantee our safety, so stop this. You are Jim Lake Jr., the best Trollhunter we have ever had.” Jim stared wide-eyed at Blinky. “You mean that?” The troll rolled his eyes. “Of course, I do. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have said it, you stupid human.” Jim smiled at the grinning Blinky. He hugged him again. Glad, that someone believed him. Glad that Blinky forgave him and gave him the motivation to tell his friends. “You are the best, Blinky.”

 

 

Monday morning, school started again. Of course, Jim had to go, even though, he just came back from the Darklands and saved them all. But here in the human world nobody cared. They didn’t even know. “Jim!” “Hey, Jimbo!” Well, at least most the people here. Toby and Claire came running at him. His best friend gave him a high five. “How are you, Jim?”, Toby asked. Jim hugged Claire. “I’m fine. Really. I … had a long talk with Blinky yesterday and …“ He broke the hug and looked at both of them. “I want to talk to you. Both of you. After school on the Hill?” They nodded. Jim smiled. “Well, then. Let’s get to class. I believe the coach is waiting for us, no?” He took both their arms and led them to their classroom.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought you'll finally find out what happened? Well, you'll have to wait some more, sorry. Maybe next chapter? I am not sure... I hope you liked it. Tell me what you think and if you have any ideas. Because now I have to write the chapters again :D Oh and if you just wanna talk about the feels of this show, then pm me :D I'd be glad to chat


	7. I'm so sorry!

Hello people!

First of all: Thank you so much for your feedback! I'm so happy that you like the story so much!!!

And I am really sorry that I haven't continued yet. I think I owe you guys an explanation.   
So it actually started just a few days after I published chapter 6. I'm studying to be an international  
teacher which means this can be quite exhausting, especially as I'm a freshman but already teach at schools.

So as it happens, when I came back to my internship school, there was quite the tension but nobody could figure out why.  
The news didn't reach us until February 14th, that the school is insolvent and will close. I don't think I have to explain to  
you that this was the worst Valentines Day not only for us teachers but also the children.   
The whole financial background of the school is way to complicated to explain now, so I won't go into that.

Basically, the thing we did for the next days was working ourselves half dead because we needed to find a solution  
and they only gave us 4 weeks to find a new investor. Even back at University I kept in constant contact with my colleagues  
and tried to work. I'm so grateful for all my lecturers. When I told them they tried to help as much as possible,  
even our headmaster called the schools' headmaster and my fellow students gave me the strength to be strong for my students.

2 weeks ago I finally got the message: The parents bought the school and it will continue next year! I'm so happy.

 

But besides that I also have to do a lot of stuff for University. I'm studying abroad in the Netherlands and here they decided that we  
have to take exams every quarter in all 4 subjects. 8 weeks are not enough to prepare for this!!!!!!!!!!!

 

So anyway, next week I'll be at my school again and will not be able to write. But look forward to it: I will definitely finish this story,  
because I love it! And even I need the closure! 

And I love you guys! Thank you so much for understanding :D


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